A Race for the Ages
by 1monster2
Summary: A fun day at the races...except for Race, that is. When Race gambles with one of Manhattan's big-shots, how long will he last until he's soaked for good...and why is he not telling Jack anything?


**A/N: Hello, all! So, this story came about solely because of the new Newsie movie-musical thingy that's currently in theatres. For those who don't know, they combined the OBC and Toursies for one production that was filmed, and then sent it into cinemas. My mom and I went to go see it the first day it appeared in theaters (the 18** **th** **), and OHMIGOSH IT WAS SO FREAKING AMAZING I CAN'T EVEN PUT INTO WORDS HOW MUCH I LOVED THIS MUSICAL! Getting to see the originals doing what they do best was incredibly brilliant, and I loved every moment of it, from Jeremey Jordan, Kara Lindsey, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Ben Fankhauser and others being amazing as their original characters, to the Toursies getting to show off a bit, to even the moment when Andy Richardson finally appeared on screen (** _ **WHY DID IT TAKE UNTIL SEIZE THE DAY? SERIOUSLY?**_ **). I am not ashamed to admit that I cried during the overture…and during Ben's "Seize the Day" solo-because, seriously, that man has the voice of an angel…and you can't tell me that you didn't tear up even a little at it-and at Crutchie getting dragged off…and at both "Santa Fe's"…and "Letter From the Refuge" (because, seriously, it's AKB)…and during "Once and for All"…and during the finale…oh geez…I just love this musical so much. I'm so glad I'm part of such a great fandom, and I love all of my fellow Fansies!**

 **This story came about after seeing the movie…I had been thinking about soaking Race for a while, since he's the only one out of the "Core Four" I haven't beaten up yet. It took me a while to figure out how to do it, but I eventually decided on his gambling habit going awry. I'm not sure if this is canon (either in the movie or musical), but I imagine Race growing up as a little kid on the tracks, learning how to tell the best horses in the races, and then betting on them with patrons. He became a newsie a little while later, but kept gambling down at the tracks to the point that Jack (just starting out as the leader) ended up banning him from selling there, which is why Jack gets so annoyed with him for selling there. The others make somewhat of an appearance, but the main focus is on Race.**

 **This story is dedicated to my "Core Three" reviewers-biankies, FansieFace, and S. Castro-who have been there for me since the very beginning (roughly) of "The Newsie Girl"…you guys mean so much to me, and I am incredibly thankful for you three! Without you guys, this series would not have become the beast that it has, and I am extremely grateful for you all!**

 **Just a heads up, I am hoping to get a new story out soon-ish! This one is a one-shot and it nearly killed me (4-5 days, 17 pages)…so it'll be interesting to see when it comes out! I don't have any ideas yet, but you'll see the second I do!**

 **DISCLAIMER I DON'T OWN NEWSIS AND NEVER WILL I JUST LOVE IT WAY TOO MUCH!**

 **WHUMPAGE WARNING!**

 **Please enjoy "** _ **A Race For the Ages**_ **"!**

As the sun rose high in the sky, Race strutted down the street, whistling jauntily. He had been one of the first newsies to grab his papers that day, and as such was able to head over and claim one of his favorite selling spots-the racetrack. He wasn't named _Racetrack_ for nothing, after all; when he first joined the newsies, he had been conning and gambling people out of their money on almost every horse race that occurred. He wasn't always able to work there now, since Jack needed his help to watch over their younger brothers and sisters. " _I swear,_ " Race mused, " _iffn' I wasn' dere ta watch some a dem, dey would tear half da city apart_." He chuckled quietly, before arriving outside the large building, waving at Buttons and Specs-who were selling across the street-as he entered. The arena was already full of people, who were all moving towards the benches in order to observe the horses who would be competing that day.

Race smirked as he watched them.

 _Poor suckers. Dey don' have no idea wat's gonna hit dem._

After a few hours selling, in which Race sold a majority of his papers strictly because of the sports section-which was almost all about the horse races-he sat down on one of the nearby benches, checking out the next race's competitors. There were some horses that he recognized from past races, as well as some he hadn't seen before.

"Like what you see?" Race looked up to see an older man standing near him, glancing out towards the track. "Should be a good race coming up."

"I hope so," the lieutenant responded. "I hate borin'."

"I don't think I've seen you around here before."

"Haven' been able ta sell 'ere in a while-somma my brothers keep gettin' it, since dey git dere papes first." The other man looked confused for a moment, attempting to understand what Race had just said-since most people didn't understand "newsie-speak"-before nodding. "That's understandable."

"Ya got a bet on da next race?" Race queried. The man shrugged, finally glancing down at him. "Not necessarily. I promised my wife that I wouldn't bet on any of the races that our horses are in, so I don't have one placed for this specific race." Race smirked, setting himself a bit more comfortably on the bench. "Awh, come on-ya cain't sit outta every race. Why don' ya jus' do one?"

"One with you, you mean?"

"Why not? I ain't got much money, so it wouldn' be a big one. Iffn' ya lost, you's wife wouldn' even notice." The older man considered it for a few moments, glancing around shiftily, before sighing. "Very well-one small bet it is. Before I agree, however, I do like to know who it is that I am betting with."

"Da name's Race Higgins," Race replied, shaking the man's hand. A strange glint appeared in the man's eyes, but disappeared rather quickly. "And my name is Hunter Delancy."

Delancy.

 _Oh crap._

A few voices appeared inside Race's head-sounding awfully like Jack, Davey, and Crutchie-telling him that this was an _incredibly_ bad idea, but the lieutenant ignored them, turning back towards the track. "Wat are da terms?"

"If my horse wins, you give me half of whatever you've earned so far. If yours wins, I will give you five dollars."

As soon as he heard _that_ , Race was finally able to shut up the voices in his head. Five dollars was a _lot_ of money. Since he felt confident in his abilities, he egged the older man on a little more. "Dat dosen' seem far ta ya."

"My horse is the best of the field, and cannot be beaten. Whichever horse you select will undoubtedly lose." Race smirked, before surveying the horses. After spending so much time at the racetrack, he knew how to pick the winning horse. After a few moments, he pointed towards a black horse, which appeared to be a bit skittish, refusing to stand still for more than five seconds. "I's gonna take dat one. It's gonna beat you's horse any day." Mr. Delancy scoffed, sitting down on the bench. "Very well-but I must warn you, that horse has never won a race in his life."

"Don' matter none-'e's gonna win taday." Before Mr. Delancy could respond, the whistle blew, and the race began. Neither Race nor his companion said anything, fixating their entire attention on the race. The Delancys' horse-which was a stable-looking chestnut-was leading the pack for a long time, and the owner was looking rather smug. On the third turn, however, the black horse shot forwards, moving at breakneck speed down the track and crossing the finish line a full two lengths ahead of the chestnut. Race smirked, immediately turning towards the older man. "You's horse lost. Now ya owe me five dollars."

"How did you know that horse would win?"

"I gotta good eye for 'em. Now, I ain't got all day, since I gotta git back ta sellin' da rest a my papes, so…" Mr. Delancy grumbled, but eventually withdrew his wallet, handing over the five dollars. "I will figure out how you knew that, and I _will_ get my five dollars back."

"Sorry, mister-ya was da one who agreed ta bettin' it. I ain't no cheater-I jus' know a good horse wen I sees it." Race chortled, rising to his feet. "See ya around sometime!" With that, he darted away, knowing from experience that once he won a bet, he needed to get away as quickly as possible, since those he defeated tended to get incredibly angry at him and sometimes even attempt to attack him. He continued selling for another couple of hours, buying himself some food at some point, before heading back for the Lodging House once the evening bell rang. He was the first one to make it back, which surprised everyone-Race was never the first one to arrive. "How'd ya sell all ya's papes so quickly?" Elmer queried, confusedly glancing up at the older boy. Race chuckled, smirking over at him. "I's got my ways, Elmer-I ain't _dat_ bad at sellin'."

"Nobody said dat ya's bad at sellin', just dat ya's never da first ta be done," Crutchie muttered, elbowing the lieutenant in the ribs. "Usually da littles is, since dey sell out early on account a how cute dey is."

"Hey-we're not cute! We're just able to fake being orphans really well!" Les argued, which led to Juliet chuckling and ruffling his hair. "Yeah, Les-ya an' Snitch is good at bein' orphans, but dat's mostly cause you's adorable." The younger boy swatted at her hand, which led to his nearby siblings laughing at him. While they did so, Race began to make his way towards the boy's dormitory, attempting to remain as unnoticeable as possible. He should have known that that wasn't possible, as he heard footsteps behind him a few seconds later. He had just managed to stow the five dollars under his pillow before turning around and facing the older boy. "Wat da ya need, Jack?"

"Wat'd ya jus' put unda ya pillow, Race? Ya's bin actin' weird evar since ya got here."

"It ain't nutin, Jack, just sumtin' I found earlier an' thought looked interestin'. I ain't actin' _dat_ weird."

"Ya's sneakin' 'round an' tryin' not ta git seen by anyone. Dat's da exact opposite of how ya normally is."

"I's fine-I jus' had a good sellin' day at da racetrack." Jack groaned, briefly dropping his hand into his palm before looking down at the younger boy. " _Race_ …ya know ya's not supposed ta sell dere! Ya cain't stop gamblin' away wat evar ya sell at da races!"

"Hey-I sold all a my papes 'fore anyone else was done. I didn' do any bettin'-I jus' sold an' got outta dere. I swear." The leader stared him down for a while, before eventually sighing and nodding. "Fine. Iffn' I find out dat ya _was_ gamblin', dough, ya ain't settin' foot ovar dere for a long time." With that, Jack turned and left the room. Once he was out of earshot, Race sighed in relief, resting back against his pillows. He normally hated lying to Jack, with how much he idolized the older boy, but he knew if the leader found out what he had done, he would be in some serious trouble. Lying about it was better, he argued to himself, than having Jack get mad at him and ban him from the tracks.

Of course, he didn't consider the thought that Jack would be even angrier once he found out that Race had lied. _That_ thought never even crossed his mind.

 ***N*E*X*T* *D*A*Y***

The next day, Race was one of the first people to get up, eager to begin selling again. He wanted to get his papers and go before Jack was able to stop him and force him to avoid the racetracks. The older boy would, predictably, keep a close eye on him, knowing that he was acting rather different than normal. Therefore, Race darted in as soon as he could, making it to the front of the line and ending up right behind Romeo and Scabs. As soon as they stepped away, Race moved forwards, resting fifty-five cents on the counter. "Well, well, well, Weasel-ya look particularly dead dis morning." He could hear both Davey and Jack groaning behind him, but he ignored them, grinning smugly up at the man. Weisel growled up at him, swiping the coins into a bag. "One day someone's going to shut up that quick tongue, boy," he grumbled. Race chuckled, shaking his head, before moving down to collect his papers. Once he arrived, he swore under his breath.

Both Morris and Oscar were there.

And they were both glaring at him.

 _Oh boy_.

A few seconds later, Morris threw a stack of papers directly at him. "You shouldn't have messed with our father yesterday," he muttered. He stalked forward, causing Race to back up a bit. He had lost track of Oscar, however, who had moved around behind him and stopped him from moving. As soon as that occurred, Morris threw a right hook directly into Race's jaw, slamming a fist into his ribs a few seconds later. Oscar backed away, causing Race to slam to the ground, knocking both Romeo and Scabs over in the process. It took Race a few seconds to reorient himself, but once he had, he saw Jack and Davey shoving both Delancy brothers backwards. Once that happened, both leader and advisor turned around and helped Race to his feet. "Wat was dat all about?" Jack queried, glaring directly at his lieutenant. None of the others had heard what Morris had said, so they had no idea why Race had just gotten knocked to the ground. The boy in question shrugged, unconsciously moving back a bit from his brothers. "It ain't anatin'-I jus' got dem mad at me yesterday. Don' worry 'bout it-it's fine." He tried to walk away, but Jack grabbed his shoulder. "It ain't nutin', Race. Even da youngest can tell dat. Wat is goin' on with you?"

"I's _fine_ , Jack. I ain't doin' anatin' stupid, 'cept gettin' da Delancys mad at me. Dere ain't nuthin' wrong." Jack growled almost inaudibly, his eyes hardening quickly. He scowled at the younger man for about a minute or so, before replying, "I don' want ya anawhere near da racetrack taday, Race. Ya's gonna stay in town an' watch ovar da younger kids. Dey's bin gettin' inta trouble lately, an' I need ya ta keep an eye on dem." Race thought about protesting for a few moments, but the annoyance-even anger-in Jack's eyes dissuaded him from that rather quickly. "Fine," he grumbled, not looking up at his older brother. He yanked his shoulder out of Jack's grip, before stalking off. Jack, Davey, and Crutchie glanced at each other, all confused as to what was going on with the lieutenant. "Did anyone see anything happen to Race earlier?" Davey queried, calling out to the other newsies, who all shook their heads. "Scabs an' I saw him go inta da arena yesterday, but we didn' see him comin' out," Buttons commented. "Iffn' anating happened ta him, it was while he was in da arena." Jack sighed, facepalming again.

" _I really hope he wasn' gamblin'. I's sure he was, but…I really hope he wasn'_."

 ***B*R*E*A*K***

For the entire day, Race sold on a street corner near the center of town. He kept as many of his younger siblings as he could in his eyesight, since he knew that Jack was keeping an eye on _him_ as much as he could. The lieutenant refused to glance over at the older boy, still frustrated that he was being forced to stay in town. Usually he didn't mind, but after going back to the tracks he felt fidgety and restless.

A little while later, Race had sold the majority of his papers, and so he leaned against a nearby building, weighing the risks of heading over to the tracks versus not giving Jack a reason to rip his head off. The leader didn't get mad easily, but when he did, everyone in the vicinity ran away as quickly as possible. Race would rather walk through fire then have get yelled at. He suddenly heard a loud thump and quiet cry coming from the alleyway nearby, and quickly dashed around the corner to see a couple of thugs shoving both Les and Snitch to the ground. "Little kids shouldn't walk around all alone," one cackled. He suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to see a rather tall newsie standing there. "Dey ain't alone." With that, Race hit him with an uppercut, before elbowing the other. The fight didn't take very long, and once they were down on the ground, the lieutenant turned to his younger brothers, kneeling to their level. "Are ya two all right?"

"Yeah, we're fine…now that you're here, anyways," Snitch replied. The two boys slowly rose to their feet, helped up by their older brother. "We almost sold all of our papers before they chased us down." Race nodded, gently guiding them back towards the streets. "Well, it's good dat I was here for y'all ain't it?" He smirked as they exited the alleyways, gesturing at a group of older women. "Why don' ya go an' sell da rest a you's papes ta dat group a lovely ladies?" The two boys nodded, dashing off toward the women. Race chuckled, before turning to head down the street. As he did, he noted three distinct shadows trailing after him.

" _Great. Jus' wen dey didn' need ta show up."_

The lieutenant snuck back into the alleyway, attempting to lose the man and his sons in the side streets, which he-Race-knew very well. As he did so, however, he didn't notice Les and Snitch turn around, nor see them running off towards Jack. As soon as they came racing up, Jack-and Davey, who was selling nearby him-looked up. "Wat's goin' on, kiddos-were's da fire?" he joked. When he saw their faces, however, his heart dropped into his stomach.

"Race is getting followed by the Delancys and some old guy!"

"Some old guy?" Davey queried. "How would Race know some old guy-heck, why would the _Delancys_ know some old guy?"

"I don't know, but they're following him around right now, and he might be in trouble!" Jack sighed, before patting the two of them on the shoulders. "Thank ya for lettin' me know. Now, I need ya ta go an' tell da othars ta keep an eye out for him, alright? Iffn' dey see him, make sure he stays dere." Les and Snitch nodded, scampering off towards their nearest older brother, while Jack turned to Davey. "I'm gonna go check da side streets for him. He knows dem bettar den anabody 'cept me, so if he's in dere, I's gonna find him."

"All right. I'll wait here in case he comes back," Davey replied. Jack nodded, before stalking over to the alley and entering. He hadn't been lying to Davey-he _did_ know the side streets better than anyone, after getting chased by the Spider one too many times, but Race knew them almost as well. If he was being chased, and _knew_ that he was being chased, there was every chance that he could either get caught or get stuck, since his temper would goad him into confronting his pursuers before too much longer. Even though Race was one of the best fighters of the newsies, three-on-one odds weren't advisable for anyone. Jack quietly moved through the streets, growing more uneasy the longer he searched. If he couldn't find his lieutenant before too much longer, the sun would go completely down, and Race would essentially be on his own for the night.

And that was _not_ something that Jack would accept.

 ***B*R*E*A*K***

After a few minutes, Race stopped in annoyance. He knew the streets well, but his pursuers were incredibly distracting, and he had accidently turned into a dead end. Unfortunately, just as he turned around to navigate out of his situation, the three Delancys stepped forwards, Oscar cracking his knuckles as they did so. "Looks like we caught ourselves a little gutter rat!"

"I beat ya uncle fair an' square, an' he knows it jus' as well as I do. Now git outta 'ere, 'fore I kick ya in da shins." Both Oscar and Morris growled, approaching the younger boy. "There is no way that a piece of newsie filth like yourself could actually know anything about horses. You have to have paid someone off to get results like that-my horse is unbeatable."

"Ain't nutin' dat's unbeatable-jus' hard ta beat. Like us newsies, in fact."

"You need to give me back my five dollars."

"Ya gave me dose five dollars fair an' square, an' ya ain't getting' it back. Dat's gonna help my brothers out for a long time." The older man scowled, joining his sons in stalking towards Race. "You aren't getting out of here that easy." With that, all three set upon the newsie lieutenant. Race put up a good fight, but Morris and Oscar knocked him down somewhat quickly, and then their father stomped down onto his stomach. The younger boy cried out in pain, attempting to roll away from Mr. Delancy. He didn't make it very far, as the man's sons stopped him, before beginning to punch him. The fight continued on for a few more minutes, with Race ending up with a large slew of bruises. Mr. Delancy stalked towards him, glaring down at him. "You will bring me back my five dollars tomorrow, or so help me I will destroy every single one of those newsies you call your friends," he challenged, before stalking off.

Race rolled onto his side, wincing as he began to feel _every single bruise_ -of which there were a _lot_. It took him a while to regain his footing, but he finally managed to stagger over to the wall and lean against it. Once he arrived, he glanced over himself, noting with some apprehension the few bruises that were visible on his arms and legs. There were many red and blue marks, and all in places where they would be noticed the moment someone looked over at him. " _Great…jus' great_. _How is I gonna hide_ _ **dese**_ _from Jack_? _Dese ain't da…most unnoticeable a tings in da world_." He sighed, groaning as he shifted position. Not only were they incredibly noticeable, but incredibly painful. He would be surprised if he could get through a day of selling without alerting anyone to his dilemma. When he thought about his brothers, however, he groaned again, realizing that he was ridiculously late to return. Jack was probably out looking for him right now, and wouldn't give up looking until he had either found his lieutenant or exhausted himself searching. The moon had slowly began to climb during this time, and was now over his left shoulder. Race sighed, pushing himself off of the wall before beginning to trudge back towards the south. With luck, he would completely miss the older boy, and be able to make it into the Lodging House and out early the next morning without anyone noticing that he was there.

It took him almost twenty minutes to trek back, glancing around himself in paranoia every few feet. New York's worst came out to play every night, after all, and with the condition Race was in, he wouldn't be able to defend himself at all. By the time he arrived outside the familiar building, he nearly cried in relief. He was finally home-now all he had to do was make it up the few stairs into the living room, and then up _another_ set of stairs to make it to his bed.

Race had never hated stairs more in his life.

By sheer will-as well as a good helping of dumb luck-he mustered the strength to limp his way up to the dormitories, his injuries reminding him that they existed every few seconds. Thankfully his bed was near the entryway, which allowed him to gingerly lower himself down into a semi-comfortable position. As he closed his eyes, exhausted from his long journey back, he thought he saw a tall figure push the door to the room open, stopping short a few seconds later. "Race? Dat ya?" a deep voice queried. The injured newsie nodded, mentally cursing himself a second later as he recognized the blurry figure. "Were was ya? We was all worried."

"I jus' got hung up, is all," the lieutenant responded, his eyes sliding shut again. "Had ta travel a long way ta git away from da Delancys."

"Delancys-was dat deir old man's bruther dat was with dem?" When Race nodded, the older boy sighed. He wasn't blind, after all; he knew that his second-in-command was injured just by the way he held himself in the bed, as well as the dark stains on his body, which could only be either blood or bruises. Jack _also_ knew that-contrary to himself-Race wouldn't admit to being hurt until he collapsed from the pain. The leader sighed, resting a warm hand on the back of his younger brother's neck, smirking a little as he settled into the touch. "Git some rest, Race. We's gonna need ya tomorrow."

"Na, ya don'."

"Yeah, we do. Jus' go ta sleep-I need ya ta keep me on my toes tomorrow."

"Tink ya…do dat…ta everybody…else here," Race muttered, his eyes slipping closed. His breathing evened out a few seconds later, and his head tilted to the side. Jack smiled, sighing quietly as he pulled the blanket up to his brother's shoulders. A few seconds later, he stepped out of the room, scowling once he was on his own. He was empathetic towards his lieutenant, but Race was also driving him nuts. He didn't understand why the younger boy wouldn't just say what was going on with him and why the Delancys wanted to punch him in the face. By the time he arrived on the roof, he was incredibly frustrated, and apparently Crutchie could tell. "Wat's up, Jack?" His older brother sighed, sitting down on the mattresses and resting his head in his hands. "Race got back while I's out lookin' for him, an' he's hurt bad. He ain't gonna tell us anathing 'bout wat's goin' on between him an' da Delancys, an' I's jus' getting' sick of it. Dose he not tink he can trust us or sumtin'?"

"I tink he knows, but ya know dat Race ain't gonna tell us anatin iffn' he don' want ta. He's one a da most private a us, an' he's never da best at knowin' wat ta tell an' wat not ta tell." Crutchie sighed, lying back and crossing his arms behind his head. "Jack… wat iffn' Race cheated Mr. Delancy outta some money at the races? Dat might explain why he, Oscar, an' Morris ain't too happy with him at da moment." Jack nodded, wrapping his left arm around his best friend's shoulders. "Ya know, Crutch…ya may have a point."

 ***B*R*E*A*K***

The next morning, Race struggled to awareness, trying-and failing-to ignore the pain that threatened to blind him. He could hear his brothers running around and getting ready, and he groaned, preparing to rise to a standing position. Before he made it too far, however, a hand rested on his back, helping him to rise. He turned around, noticing Specs behind him. "I ain't needin' any 'assistance', Specs."

"I ain't assistin' ya, Race, I's jus' makin' sure ya don' tip over an' fall on ya's face," Specs teased, sliding an arm around his older brother's shoulders once they were on their feet. "Ya don' look like ya could stand on ya's own right now." Race growled at him, but the medic ignored him. Jack had dragged him off to the side when he woke up and asked him to keep an eye on the second-in-command, since no one knew exactly how he had gotten injured. Specs could tell the same thing as Jack-that Race was covered in bruises and seriously sore-but he was also pretty sure that the older boy had some busted ribs, as well as possibly some hidden injuries. "Da Delancys do dis ta ya?" That proved to be the wrong question to ask, as the older boy froze, his body tensing up under Spec's hand. "…who told ya dat?"

"Nobody," Specs responded, forcing his voice to stay calm. Obviously the Delancys had something to do with Race being beaten, and he didn't want anyone to know. "Wen Les an' Snitch told us dat ya was bein' followed, dey mentioned dat it was da Delancy brothers an' sum old guy." The answer seemed to pacify his older brother, who nodded quietly, obeying the gentle tug forwards. "Yeah-dat was deir's old man's bruther."

"Wat did dey want with ya?"

"Dey jus'…it ain't nutin'."

"Race-trust us. We ain't gonna git mad at you or anatin'."

"Ya don' know Jack like I do, Specs. He ain't gonna be nutin' 'cept mad at me." Specs sighed, clearly not agreeing with Race's assertion but not willing to attempt to talk him out of it. Once they joined the rest of the newsies, Race subtly slid out from under the medic's arm, not wanting to appear weak in front of the others. By the time that Jack had caught up with his younger brother, the lieutenant was gone, having already picked up his papers. "He's hurtin', Jack, but he ain' gonna tell ya anatin'. He dosen' want'cha ta git mad at him." Jack groaned, running a hand through his hair. "I's gittin' mad at him _now_!"

"I know. I's gonna keep an' eye on him while we's selling taday, an' make sure dem idiots ain't gittin' anawere near him." Jack nodded, patting him on the back as he grabbed his papers. "Danks, Specs. I's gonna owe ya one."

"Nah, ya don' owe me nutin'. I's jus' doin' my job," Specs smirked.

The rest of the day, each newsie was out selling, while also keeping a subtle-or in some cases _not_ so subtle-eye on their older brother. Juliet and Romeo were selling next to him and Finch and Elmer were across the street, and they were growing more and more nervous every second. The older boy was selling his papers all right, but he seemed to be slightly out of it, and was standing there somewhat listlessly. He also winced every time a slightly chilly wind blew through the city. All four younger newsies wanted to go and force their brother to sit down-or even head back to the Lodging House-but they knew he wouldn't let them. Romeo, especially, was itching to go over and help his brother, but Juliet continued to hold him back. "Easy, Romeo. Ya know Race-he ain't gonna take too kindly ta ya helpin' him, even if he needs da help."

"He's bein' an idiot!"

"I know it, but he ain't gonna see it dat way." Romeo was about to respond, but a sudden whistle from Elmer caught their attention. Both younger newsies turned to see Morris, Oscar, and Mr. Delancy making their way towards the lieutenant. None of the quartet could hear what was said in the conversation, but they all began to run over as quickly as they could when Race was kicked in the stomach. He tried to fend off the incoming attacks, but his injuries had weakened him to the point where he couldn't really defend himself. A punch behind the ear nearly knocked him unconscious, but he managed to stay awake enough to notice someone sliding in beneath him as he fell. The breath rushed out of whatever it was he had fallen on top of, and he heard someone cry out, "Git him offa me! I kinda cain't breath!"

"Hang on a second!" another voice called. It took a few moments, but Race was finally able to recognize a blurry figure underneath him. Another few seconds went by before he was able to-mostly-recognize which of his siblings it was. "Juliet?" he muttered. His sister nodded, smiling brightly up at him. "'ey dere, Race. Sorry we didn't git here earlier…"

"Dat's okay...shouldn' need ta be here."

"Ya's gittin' soaked after already gittin' soaked once. Dere ain't anaone gonna hold us back from gittin' ta ya." Race slowly glanced over to his side to see Romeo, Finch, Elmer, Albert, Henry, and Mush all driving the Delancys backwards. The lieutenant gaped, somewhat confused. "Were'd all ya come from?"

"Romeo, Finch, Elmer, an' I was already near ya, and Albert, Henry, an' Mush saw wat was going on from a distance. We all ran over as soon as we could." The younger girl attempted to sit up, but was still hampered by her older brother's weight. "D'ya tink ya can move any? I don' mind bein' a pillow, but I would kinda like ta breathe here…" Race began to shift off of her, but froze a few seconds later, a pained hiss escaping from his throat. Juliet hummed sympathetically, before glancing over at her brothers. "'Ey! Git ya butts over here now-Race needs help!" Thankfully, the others had kicked the Delancys away by this point, and so they all rushed over to the two. Romeo knelt down next to the two of them, resting a gentle hand on Race's shoulder. "How ya doin', Race?"

"'Ey cain't move," Juliet interrupted, "'e's already tried." The medic nodded, frowning slightly as he noticed something on the side of the lieutenant's head. He reached around and pressed down a little on the knot behind his older brother's ear. Almost instantly, Race's eyes closed, and another second later started slipping into darkness, ignoring the shouts of the people up above him.

 ***B*R*E*A*K***

"Come on, Race…it's time ta wake up."

The newsie in question rolled around a bit in bed, wishing he could go back to sleep and get away from the pain. Strong hands caught him, however, forcing him to stay in one place. "Easy, Race. Yeah, it hurts, but ya gotta wake up. Ya cain't sleep for too much longer." Eventually, his eyes cracked open, finally sweeping around the room to see the other "Core Three" members in the room. The limbic and advisor were sitting on each side of him, and the leader was crouched down next to him. "Ya back with us?" Jack queried. It took a while, but Race finally nodded, his eyes dropping down to the ground. "Yeah. How'd I git back here?"

"Da littles dragged ya back here, an' den came an' grabbed da three of us," Crutchie responded, smiling down at his older brother. "Ya gave dem all a good scare."

"Good…dey needed it," the lieutenant teased, causing the others to chuckle gently. Once they settled down, Davey turned to Race. "Race…why did you have five dollars under your pillow?" The older boy froze, a scowl beginning to travel across his face as he glared at each of the others. "Ya looked at my stuff?"

"Wen dat's da only clue we has as ta why da Delancys wanna beat ya up every time dey see ya, _yeah_ , we do!" Jack protested. "I don' git why ya wouldn' tell us dat you has five dollars!"

"Because I didn' want ya ta tink dat I was gamblin' 'way money I got in sellin'." Race answered, his voice harsh. "Ya's already mad at me 'nough for sellin' at Sheepshead-"

"A course I's frustrated! Ya know why ya ain't supposed ta sell dere-it's too easy for ya ta git back inta gamblin'!"

"I didn' dat time!"

"Den how do ya explain da five dollars?"

Before the two could continue shouting at each other, Crutchie cleared his throat. "Race…why don'cha tell us wat actually happened? Dat way we know wat went on." His older brother sighed, glancing down at the ground again. He was silent for a while, and both Crutchie and Davey shot Jack glares whenever he made to speak again. Eventually, Race said, "I sold most a my papers ta da people in da stands, since dey's wantin' ta read da sports section, on account a how it lets dem know wat horses de want ta bet on. I was takin' a break wen I got approached by da Delancys' old man's bruther. 'E agreed ta a bet with me, since I knew dat deir horse was gonna lose."

"How'd you know that?"

"I grew up at da races, Davey. I's known since I was little how ta pick da good horses. Plus, I's seen dat horse's information, an' it blows its speed aftar da first two turns, but by den it's usally so far ahead dat no one can catch it. Dere was a black horse, dough, dat was really skittish, an' I knew it would make up da distance at da end an' beat da Delancy's horse."

"Was it a fair bet?"

"A course it was. I let Mr. Delancy set da terms hisself, an' he's da one dat offered da five dollars. I didn' try ta trick 'im or anatin'." His brothers looked at each other, a bit more appeased as to what Race had done. They did have one question, however… "Race, why have the Delancys been attacking you? If the bet was as fair and square as you said-"

"Dey're claimin' it wasn'. Dey's claimin' dat I stole da five dollars from dem, an' dat I cheated somehow."

"Race, ya cheat all da time."

"Not wen it comes ta races-I knows dem like da back a my hand. I don' need ta cheat at da horses." He sighed, resting back a bit more on the bed. "Wen dey came aftar me last night, dey said dat iffn' I didn' give deir 'stolen' money back, dey was gonna go aftar one a da othars. Dey soaked me taday cause I didn' give da money I won back, an' cause I told dem ta go aftar me, an' not one a da littles." Jack sighed, reaching out and slipping his hand under his younger brother's chin, gently but firmly moving it up to look at them. "Race-wat was ya plannin' ta do with da money?" His lieutenant didn't respond for a while, but Jack held his gaze steadily, until the other sighed again. "I don' know…at first I was plannin' ta use it myself for stuff, but den I got ta tinkin' 'bout it, an' I was tinkin' dat we could save it for dose times when we's havin' problems with money, or if we need ta have a party for someone, like how Juliet's birthday is comin' up in a few weeks." Jack let out a breath, rather surprised at the younger boy. He had honestly thought that the younger boy had stolen the money from Mr. Delancy by egging him on in the bet, and that he was selfishly keeping the money for himself. The fact that he had decided to save it for the entire newsie family reminded Jack why exactly he had named Race as his second-while they were opposites in personality, they were both incredibly protective of their younger siblings, and would do whatever it took to help them.

"I know ya's mad at me, an' I's fine with dat-"

"I ain't mad, Race." No one spoke up for a few seconds, until Race remembered how to talk a few seconds later. "What do ya mean, ya's not mad?"

"I ain't mad at ya. I's frustrated dat ya went ta da racetrack wen ya's not supposed ta, an' dat a wouldn' tell us wat was goin' on, but I's not mad. I's also impressed at wat ya's plannin' ta do with da money…dat's a real good idea ya has."

"Thanks…why ain'tcha mad?"

"Cause I know dat ya didn' actually cheat dat guy outta his money, an' cause none a wat happened was you's fault. Yeah, ya shouldn' have gone ta da track, an' I's annoyed 'bout dat, but nutin' dat happened was you's fault-it's da Delancys fault. You's jus' tryin' ta protect da othars, an' I cain't be mad at ya for dat." A small smile crossed Race's face, and his brothers grinned in response. Jack briefly turned away, glancing off to the side. "Hey, Specs-can Race go ta sleep now?"

"Yeah," the younger boy called back, "he should be okay to take a nap now. He's bin awake for long enough." Jack nodded, turning back towards his second-in-command and resting a hand on his shoulder. "Git some rest, Race. We's gonna take care a da Delancys for ya."

"Ya don' have ta do dat-dey's my problem." Crutchie growled, causing everyone to jump.

Crutchie never growled.

 _Ever_.

"Wen is all a y'all gonna git it in ya heads-watevar's a problem for one brother is a problem for evary brother. None a y'all seems ta git dat, an' it jus' leads ta ya gittin' hurt 'cause ya don' seem ta understand dat. We's all here for ya, an' ya's gonna stay in dis bed an' git some sleep while we takes care a dose idiots." It took a few moments, but the others began to laugh. "That's you told, Race!" Davey teased, ignoring the mock-glare his older brother sent his way. "If Crutchie's getting mad at you, then you really need to sleep!" Race rolled his eyes, but nodded, curling up a bit more under his blankets. His brothers smirked, gradually rising to their feet, patting him on the shoulder as they walked-or hobbled-out of the room. Jack was the last to leave, squeezing the hand still resting on Race's shoulder. "Git some sleep, little brother. We's gonna go take care a da Delancys, an' den we's gonna help ya feel better."

"I…ain't…little…" Race muttered, already falling asleep. His older brother chuckled, softly ruffling his hair. "Ya's younger den me, so yeah, you's little ta me. Now go ta sleep. We's got ya back." Race nodded, drifting off to sleep a few seconds later. As he did, Jack turned to Specs. "Look out for him, will ya?"

"Ya didn' even need ta ask," the medic responded, grinning over at him. "Go an' soak dose idiots-Race'll be fine." Jack nodded, before clapping the younger boy and leaving the Soaking Room.

Those idiots wouldn't know what hit them.

 ***B*R*E*A*K***

It only took an hour or so for Sniper to track down the Delancys, catching them as they exited the markets. At a quiet signal, their progress was immediately halted by every single Manhattan newsie-minus Specs and Race, of course. Jack stepped forwards, a dark look on his face. "We needs ta have a talk," he muttered, glaring over at the three men. "Ya's been attackin' one a our guys, an' it's gotta stop. _Now_."

"Your friend cheated me out of five dollars," Mr. Delancy declared, smirking back at the newsie leader. "We will not cease beating him down until he returns my money."

"He won it fair and square off of you," Davey chimed in, moving to join his older brother. "We know how you agreed to give Race five dollars, and that you think that he cheated somehow with picking a horse. He beat you without cheating at all, however, simply because he knows horses like he knows the streets of Manhattan, and knew that your horse was going to lose. So leave him alone, or you will be wishing that you had never messed with him in the first place." Both Morris and Oscar scoffed at him, rolling their eyes in annoyance.

"Nice try, Brainiac, but ya ain't gonna dissuade us from goin' an' beatin' up da tall idiot," Oscar muttered. "We's gonna keep hittin' 'em 'till 'e cain't see straight." Jack growled, only held back by Davey's arm. "Ya cain't jus' go around an' beat people up whenever ya feel like it!"

"And whose rule is that?" Mr. Delancy mocked. "We don't have to listen to anything you say."

"Iffn' you's boys wanna keep workin' with Pulitzer, ya do," Crutchie commented, moving up to join his brothers. "We's gotta direct line ta da big man himself, an' Jack jus' has ta do is talk ta Katherine, an' dey'd be outa a job faster den ya can say 'papes'. Iffn' ya don' want ta lose you's jobs, den ya gotta leave Race alone. Iffn' ya don', den y'all is gonna be done out here in Manhattan."

"And if we choose not to agree?"

"Well, we's gonna send da little boys ta talk ta Katherine while we beat ya's faces ta a pulp. It's ya's choice, but I wouldn' wanna risk it iffn' I was ya." For a while, no one responded, but eventually Mr. Delancy sighed. "How will I regain my five dollars, then?"

"Ya lost dat fair an' square. Ya's gotta make dat up on ya own," Jack responded, still glaring their way. He broke away from Davey's grip, stalking a little closer to the Delancys. "So back off now. Else we ain't gonna go so nice on ya or ya's nephews. Now git outta my sight." With that, he strutted off, hearing his fellow newsies "deal" with the Delancys. As Davey and Crutchie caught up with him, Jack smirked.

Yeah, Race hadn't made the best decisions, and all of them knew it.

He was doing it to protect the newsies, however, and that made everything a lot better.

Even if he wasn't going to go near the Sheepshead Racetrack in a _really long_ time.

 _ **A/N 2: Well, this one actually turned out a lot better than I thought it would!**_ __ _ **The last little bit kind of fell flat, but I'm still proud of how it turned out! I'm glad I got to work on Race as well-I don't normally get to focus on him! Although…I really need to stop writing things where he and Jack get into arguments with each other. Apparently Jack doesn't like having Race be the main focus or something! Haha….let him have the spotlight once in a while, Jackie-boy!**_ __

 _ **As I said above, I should hopefully have something new coming out soon…feel free to check out some of my older stuff in the meantime!**_ __ _ **I'm hoping to get some stuff figured out this weekend-although my weekend is incredibly busy, and my Monday has both a doctor's appointment (checking allergies/whether or not I messed up my wrist in the "Blizzard of 2016") and an audition for my church's spring play…but I'll let you know soon!**_

 _ **Also, just as an aside…not only did I have Jeff Calhoun and Christopher Gattelli favorite my tweets about going to see the movie, but Tommy Bracco responded to one of mine about melting in sheer excitedness when he came on screen…but I also decided to randomly tweet out to Evan and Aaron about how I used their names as the names for the Clancy brothers (and yes, the**_ Clancy _**brothers, not the Delancys)…and AARON ACTUALLY FAVORITED IT! OH MY GOSH AARON ACTUALLY FAVORITED IT!**_

 _ **So, fangirling aside…I'll keep you posted as to what is coming up next!**_ __ _ **I'm glad to be back in the Newsie world with this little gem!**_

 _ **I hope you enjoyed the story, and I'll see you all soon!**_

 _ **God bless,**_

 _ **1monster2**_


End file.
